Safe Kids --> International Walk to School Day
International Walk to School Day
WASHINGTON — In observance of International Walk to School Day on October 3, Safe Kids Elkhart County, Nappanee Police Departmentand FedEx volunteers will walk to school with students to call attention to Nappanee Elementary School and improve the walking environment in Nappanee. More than 50 children will participate in the event.
Nationwide, pedestrian injuries are the number two cause of accidental death among children ages 5 to 14. Each year in the United Statesmore than 630 children are killed and 33,000 treated in emergency rooms as a result of pedestrian injuries. According to injury statistics, African American children, male children, children living in high density areas and children residing in low-income households are most at-risk for these types of injuries. Between 1995 and 2005, the number of child pedestrian fatalities has decreased by 51 percent.
“Parents, caregivers and teachers need to be aware of influencing factors for children when they are walking and address those when teaching them about pedestrians safety,” says Hollie Lambert, Safe Kids Elkhart County coordinator. “Walking is an important and healthy activity but everyone needs to do their part to keep this activity safe for kids. Parents and caregivers need to teach children safe behaviors and drivers must be aware and on the lookout for children on or near the road.”
Since 1991, Safe Kids Elkhart County has helped to reduce the amount of child pedestrian deaths in our community. Through the year-round Safe Kids Walk This Way program, children learn important safety tips and behaviors for walking safely. This year, as part of the program, Safe Kids coalitions in hundreds of communities across the country will hold local educational events, including press conferences, and mass walks to and from school, to shine a light on a particular pedestrian safety issue in their communities. Some important local issues include unsafe intersections, streets where there are no safe sidewalks and dangerous areas where more than one pedestrian has either been hit or almost injured by a car.
If you would like more information about what Safe Kids Elkhart County is doing to improve child pedestrian safety in our community, please contact Hollie Lambert at 574.523.2112. For more information about preventing child pedestrian injuries, visit www.usa.safekids.org/wtw.
Safe Kids Elkhart County works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading killer of children 14 and under. Its members include Elkhart County Sheriff's Department, Nappanee Police Department, Purdue Extension, Elkhart County Probation, Goshen Fire Department, Concord Township Fire Department, and INOVA Federal Credit Union. Safe Kids Elkhart County is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injury. Safe Kids Elkhart County was founded in 1991 and is lead the Elkhart County Health Department.